


Detention and Determination

by starryeyedchar



Series: Voltron Hogwarts AU [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Slash, Roommates, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 19:21:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15780465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedchar/pseuds/starryeyedchar
Summary: Keith watched as Lance made a beeline for his bed, then collapsed onto it face first. He resisted the impulse to smirk. “What happened?”Lance just groaned dramatically in response, the sound muffled by his blankets. “I have detention,” he said mournfully. “Again.”“Tough luck,” Keith replied, still trying to keep a smile off his face.Lance, Keith, Pidge, and Hunk all end up in detention together, which wouldn't be so bad if Hogwarts detention didn't involve going into the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night. Things don't go too well.Or Lance and Keith are both reckless Gryffindors who get themselves into trouble, but at least they're doing it together.





	Detention and Determination

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if everything is accurate to how things are in the HP world in this (I tried my best) but ultimately I decided to stop editing things and just post, since it's been too long since I showed this AU some love. If I changed some things up, well. This is a fictional AU that combines two other works of fiction in a crossover of sorts.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! I really have too many WIPs that I need to get posting, but my life is. Hectic. Still, I post when I can! I hope that's enough for you guys, you've just been great from day one. Thank you so much! Comments are always encouraged, and let??? Me know if??? I should add more tags to this? I think I've forgotten how to tag things, officially. Agh. I'm such a mess.

“Come on,” Lance hissed, and nudged Pidge with his elbow. “What's taking so long?”

“What did you expect? Haggar's been working here for ages. She knows not to lock the potion stores with a charm that could be broken by a simple _Alohamora_ ,” Pidge said, elbowing him back. “It's gonna take me a second.”

“Well, hurry it up! Iverson walks the halls to make sure no students are out after curfew, remember? And he's gonna catch us if we're not out of here soon!”

Pidge whirled around to glare at him. “Oh, I'm sorry, did you not want me to open this door for you? If you don't appreciate the help, then—”

“Sorry,” Lance mumbled, backing away to let her work on the lock of the storage closet once more. “It's just— Iverson doesn't like me on the best of days. If he finds me here, I'm as good as dead.”

“Why exactly _are_ we here?” Hunk asked as he peered anxiously down the hall. “I mean... sneaking out at night? Breaking into Professor Haggar's storage closet? _Stealing_ potions ingredients? We could get expelled for this!”

“Oh, don't be dramatic,” Pidge said. “We're all really good students, and we've never been caught breaking rules before. Most likely we'd just be given detentions.”

Lance glowered at the floor. “Speak for yourself.” Unlike Pidge, he'd been in trouble with teachers multiple times for goofing off in class or breaking the rules, the latter mostly because exploring the castle after dark was so much fun, and his siblings had clued him in on more than a few secret passages. Besides, he couldn't slip into the Ravenclaw common room to hang out with Hunk in broad daylight! But there had also been several times when Lance got in trouble even though he hadn't actually done anything wrong.

And also unlike his two best friends, Lance's grades weren't top of the class. They weren't _bad_ , but... well. He supposed there was a reason he wasn't put in Ravenclaw.

Still, even for him, an expulsion would be a bit of a strong punishment for what they were trying to accomplish.

“Okay, but still,” Hunk continued, and wrung his hands. “Is brewing a love potion for some girl really worth potentially getting in _huge_ trouble?”

“It's not _some girl_ ,” Lance said. He leaned against the wall beside the door, and crossed his arms over his chest. “It's Nyma.”

Hunk frowned. “I thought you said you didn't like her anymore, after—”

“After she pretended she actually liked me earlier this year just so she could make her ex-boyfriend Rolo jealous, and then hooked up with him while we were still dating?” Lance deadpanned, staring determinedly at the floor.

“I... was just going to say 'after you guys broke up' but... yeah. That,” Hunk said, with a wince. “I'm sorry dude. You deserve way better.”

“Eh, it's fine,” Lance said, and waved him off. The look his two best friends exchanged told him that he was fooling no one, but he didn't care. “But no, I don't like her anymore. Actually, this girl Plaxum the year above us in Gryffindor is really cute, and I think I might have a shot—”

“But if you don't like her,” Hunk interrupted, while Pidge grumbled under her breath. “Then why are we making a love potion?”

“Revenge,” Pidge said, as if it were obvious. “Love potions don't give the person real feelings, they just _think_ they do for an hour or two. At least, the one we're going to make will, since we're not going to try and brew _Amortentia_ or anything crazy powerful like that. She'll get obsessed with Lance, talk about him, try to follow him everywhere— it's going to be very embarrassing for her. And hopefully by the time it wears off, she and that jerk Rolo will be broken up again.”

Lance nodded. “That's the plan, anyway. I just want to... make her feel as humiliated as I felt, I guess. I mean, the whole _school_ knew about what happened. I don't want her back, but... I want payback.”

Pidge smirked. “There _is_ some Slytherin in you after all. I'm so proud. That's the only reason I came to help. I'm not in the business of trying to be Lance's wingman— that's your job, Hunk, and I don't want it —but dishing out karma? Count me in.”

“Besides,” Lane continued. “I'd never use a love potion on someone I actually had feelings for. I wouldn't want to embarrass them, and I... would also prefer to know that they like me without any sort of magical enhancement.”

“Never mind,” Pidge said, wrinkling her nose. “You're a Gryffindor after all. But we're not going to be _able_ to brew any love potions if I can't figure out this lock.” She scowled at what had appeared to be an unassuming padlock for a moment, before pocketing her wand.

“What're you doing?” Lance asked. “Come on, just... just _Reducto_ it, or something.”

“Breaking the lock would almost guarantee that we get caught,” Pidge pointed out. “I'm starting to see why you always end up in detention. And stop using spell names as verbs.”

“So, are we calling it quits?” Hunk wondered hopefully. “Maybe we should just head back to our dorms. I'm actually getting pretty tired. Enough sneaking around for one night, if you ask me.”

“Please,” Pidge scoffed. She pulled a bobby-pin from her hair, and stuck it into the lock. If only took a few moments of maneuvering to get it to click open. She grinned. “Pretentious pure-bloods and their reliance on magic.”

Lance stared as the door swung open. “Since when do you know how to pick locks by hand?”

She shrugged. “Since Matt is my older brother. We were both raised as regular 'muggles', Lance. We learned a lot of stuff that you didn't.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you could've been helping Hunk and I break into the kitchens after hours and steal food this _entire_ —?”

“Oh, be quiet,” she said, waving them inside the closet. “We've already been standing around for too long. Let's go.”

Lance rolled his eyes and Hunk gave her a mock-salute, but soon all three of them had crammed into the space.

“Do we even know what we're looking for?” Hunk wondered as he stared up at the shelves and shelves of potion ingredients.

“I have a list,” Lance said, pulling a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. “Allura stayed after class with Professor Haggar for me and asked, because she's her star student. And it's way less suspicious coming from her.”

“Yeah, because everyone knows she and Lotor have eyes for each other,” Pidge said, as she stood on tiptoe to see a higher shelf.

“Don't remind me,” Lance grumbled. “I may be past the crush I had on her first year, but she can do _way_ better than Lotor. I know we're all supposed to be on good terms now, but he's still kind of a jerk.”

Pidge ignored him. “Whatever. Hey, I think these are lacewing flies!” She held up a small jar of buzzing insects. “These are an ingredient used to make Polyjuice Potion. Think of how many people we could prank with this!”

“Stop touching everything!” Hunk said anxiously. “Let's just get what we need for the love potion, and get out. Lance, read off the list.”

Pidge pocketed the lacewing flies anyway.

“Well, the rose thorns and peppermint we could get anywhere, but we're going to need ashwinder eggs, powdered moonstone, and... pearl dust,” Lance read, then looked up. “I honestly have no idea what any of that would look like.”

Hunk also seemed uncertain. “Do we even know that she has all this stuff here?”

“Yes, obviously, those are pretty basic ingredients. I think I know what they look like, they have several pages on love potions in _Advanced Potion Making_ ,” she told them, then paused. “How is it that I was raised by normal people and I'm _still_ the only one that knows this stuff?! I have to do everything!”

“Well, if you're going to just keep insulting me all night, then maybe I don't want your help,” Lance said with a huff. “I pay attention in class, too, you know. And Hunk's a Ravenclaw! We've got this covered, don't we big guy?”

“Well, actually—”

“Lance, there is _literally_ pearl dust on the shelf right next to your head.”

He snatched up the bottle of sparkling white powder, glaring. “I knew that.”

Pidge sighed. “Ashwinder eggs would probably be best kept on a low shelf, because they have to stay frozen, and might need to be checked on...” she trailed off and crouched down, then stood back up with a jar full of frozen, glowing red, nearly spherical eggs. “Got them!”

“Okay, great,” Hunk said. “Now can we go back to the dorms?”

“Not so fast, we still need the— there!” Pidge pointed up, and all three of them looked at a bottle that glittered a bright purple even with the dim lighting.

“Wow, Pidge, you're really good at this!”

“Yes, Pidge is a genius, we all know, but how exactly are we supposed to _get_ that?” Lance asked. “Even I'm not that tall.”

“You could get on my shoulders?” Hunk offered, then shook his head immediately after. “No, in a closet full of extremely fragile and potentially dangerous potion ingredients, that is a _very_ bad idea. Never mind.”

“Okay, but if you don't give me at least a piggy-back ride on the way back I'm going to be very disappointed,” Lance said. He stared up at the shelf for a moment, then lifted his wand. “ _Accio_ powdered moonstone!”

The bottle flew to his hand, but apparently a few other things had been in it's way on the shelf, since the abrupt movement caused several other jars to fall to the ground, shattering on impact.

The resulting crash— in the quiet, dark halls of the castle —was deafening.

Hunk had his hands pressed to either side of his head. “Lance! I could've _told_ you that was a bad idea, that's why I didn't suggest it. When all of the ingredients are crowded together like that—”

Pidge looked pissed, too, but then her eyes lit up. “Hey! Boomslang skin!” She picked up what appeared to be a shredded, dark hide of some kind of animal, and shoved it into yet another pocket of her robes. “Alright guys, we should probably leave the scene of the crime.”

“Don't have to tell me twice,” Lance muttered. Hunk nodded, picking up the ashwinder eggs from where Pidge had set them on the ground, and the three of them ran out the door, letting it slam closed behind them. No sense being quiet now.

They took off down the hall at a run, only for Professor Haggar to appear out of thin air in front of them, blocking their path.

All three of them screamed.

“ _Jesus_ ,” Lance breathed. “No matter how many times my mom apparates in the house, I'll never get used to it.”

“How do you think I feel? My parents aren't wizards,” Pidge muttered back.

“Hang on,” Hunk whispered to both of them, keeping his eyes on their teacher who glowered down at them. “I thought you couldn't apparate on school grounds?”

“You can't,” Pidge said, with a wary glance at their teacher, who still hadn't spoken. “It's right in _Hogwarts: A History_.”

“Well, apparently _she_ can,” Lance replied, then gave a Professor Haggar a small, awkward wave. This seemed to be enough to spur her into action.

“What,” she began, voice icy. “Were you three doing in my _private_ stores?”

Lance exchanged nervous glances with the others, and then looked down at the potion ingredients that he was still holding.

Haggar's expression turned furious.

“Crap.”

“Shit.”

“ _Mierda_.”

 

* * *

 

Keith refused to count what he was doing as 'waiting for Lance.'

He'd overheard the other talking to his two best friends, Hunk and Pidge, about sneaking into Professor Haggar's private potion storage closet in order to brew a love potion.

He wasn't surprised at all. Lance was almost always swooning over some girl or another. If anything, it was shocking that he hadn't tried to enchant someone into falling in love with him _already_.

And even if Keith hadn't heard them all talking about it when he passed them in the hall, Lance was nowhere near as quiet as he thought he was when leaving their dormitory.

But he wasn't _waiting_ for Lance, he just wasn't tired. He didn't have any classes early in the morning, and Keith usually stayed up late. He'd been reading a really good book lately.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Lance wasn't back yet, even though if everything had gone smoothly it would've been quick. He wasn't worried at all. What did he care if his stupid roommate got himself into trouble again?

The thought of going after him just to make sure the three of them hadn't locked themselves inside the closet had just popped into Keith's head when the door opened.

He watched as Lance made a beeline for his bed, then collapsed onto it face first. Keith resisted the impulse to smirk.

“No potion ingredients?” Keith asked, as he noted the lack thereof in Lance's hands. “What happened?”

Lance just groaned dramatically in response, the sound muffled by his blankets. “I have detention,” he said mournfully. “Again.”

“Tough luck,” Keith replied, still trying to keep a smile off his face. “But I have to say, I'm relieved on behalf of whatever girl you're interested in now that you won't be able to make any love potions.”

Lance lifted his head up to look at Keith in confusion. “What?”

“That's what you were doing, right? Stealing ingredients to brew a love potion?”

“Well, yeah. Though I have no idea how you knew that. And I wasn't going to use it on someone I actually like. That'd be unfair to them."

This _did_ surprise Keith. He raised an eyebrow, not really buying it. “Oh? Then who were you going to give it to?”

Lance hesitated, then— “Nyma.”

Keith blinked. “Oh.”

Practically _everyone_ at Hogwarts knew what had happened between Lance and Nyma earlier that year. A Slytherin in a relationship with a Gryffindor was practically unheard of to begin with, but the drama involved had ensured it would be gossiped about for months after the whole thing was over.

Nyma, a sixth year, had an off and on relationship with another Slytherin, Rolo. The two were notorious for making out in secluded— or not secluded, it didn't really matter much to them —corridors, and arguing loudly in the Great Hall.

After one of their many break-ups, she'd started flirting with Lance as a sort of rebound since she knew he had a crush on her. They wound up dating.

Lance was so thrilled that someone had reciprocated his feelings that he was completely oblivious to how Nyma used him. When Keith had tried to suggest that _maybe_ Nyma was only dating him to make Rolo jealous, after he had seen the way she flaunted him in front of her ex, Lance hadn't spoken to him for days.

Every time they made progress, something just _had_ to happen to mess it up.

But then Keith had been right. Nyma had cheated on Lance with Rolo instead of bothering to break up with him first, and Lance had been left heartbroken.

Keith was by no means sorry to see what Lance had with Nyma end— not that he cared who Lance was dating, of course. It was just an extremely toxic relationship, which he'd known since the beginning.

Keith thought he'd at least get a good 'I told you so' speech out of it, because it would be nice to rub something in Lance's face for a change.

But Lance was so broken up about it that he just... couldn't. It was bad enough that Nyma had completely screwed him over, but Lance was then forced to hear people gossiping about the whole thing everywhere, _and_ deal with Nyma and Rolo's once again constant PDA. Keith didn't want to make it any more difficult for him.

He and Lance had been getting along much better ever since their fourth year when they won the Quidditch cup together, and while they still bickered often... they were roommates, and had been for going on five years now. It was kind of impossible not to feel close to someone you spent so much time with. So Keith just did his best to offer support, and to silently despise Nyma and Rolo from afar.

“Yeah. Oh,” Lance laughed, but there wasn't an humor in it. “It was my idea... I thought that if we could brew a love potion and give it to her so that she'd act all obsessed with me... it'd be sort of like getting revenge? I don't know, it sounds stupid now.”

“I don't think it sounds stupid,” Keith said quietly. Lance didn't hear him.

“And I got all three of us in trouble. Sneaking out after dark, breaking into the storage closet, _and_ trying to steal? We're lucky we didn't get a worse punishment,” Lance mumbled, pressing his face into his sheets again. “She took back all the love potion stuff, obviously. Although Pidge did manage to shove some ingredients for Polyjuice Potion into her robes, so I guess it wasn't completely futile.”

“I'm sorry you won't be able to get Nyma back for what she did, though,” Keith told him honestly. “She would've deserved it.”

Lance looked up again, and stared at him blankly. “What?”

Keith shifted uncomfortably. “The way she treated you... it wasn't right. I wish this had worked, so you would've been able to get your revenge.”

Lance gaped at him for another second or two, speechless. “Huh,” he finally said. “Well. Uh. Thanks, Keith. I think Pidge is already trying to come up with something, actually. Next time, I'll recruit you. Maybe your ninja skills would've kept us from getting caught.”

Keith smiled despite himself. “Maybe.”

“Alright, well, I'm going to bed. Have fun reading that lame book,” Lance said, then laid back down again, still in his robes.

Keith rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling.

 

* * *

 

The next day, the Gryffindor team had a scheduled practice on the Quidditch pitch, which definitely helped improve Lance's mood, even if he still had to do detention later in the week.

And of course, since it was Haggar that had found them, she decided that the three of them would go to the Forbidden Forest that Friday night and collect potion ingredients for her to replace the ones they'd ruined.

Which... all things considered, was fair enough. But _seriously_? The Forbidden Forest was off limits for a reason— it was ridiculously dangerous. What kind of teacher sent her students into it?

Professor Haggar, apparently. 

But at least he was still able to play in the upcoming match against Hufflepuff. Since Shiro was their Keeper, Gryffindor would need all three of its Chasers at their best to get a win by the correct margin. Lance would hate to have to let his team down. He was determined to score as many points as he could to make up for the ones he'd lost for his house by getting caught breaking the rules. Again.

But his optimistic attitude dimmed considerably when he noticed that Professor Iverson, flying instructor and resident stickler for the rules, was on the field. Had he heard about Lance's most recent trouble making?

Iverson didn't make any moves to talk to them, though, so they just carried on with their practice. Still, it was hard for Lance to play his best with Iverson's judgmental eyes following him.

When Keith nodded to Lance appreciatively after he scored a particular tough shot, though, his spirits lifted once again.

It seemed Iverson was determined to make sure that didn't last for very long.

The professor blew his whistle, and Lance's gaze snapped over to him at the sound. He made abrupt eye contact with Keith, who was flying towards that end of the field already, and they shared an eye roll.

Lance felt something flutter to life in his stomach.

Professor Iverson wasn't the head of Gryffindor house, he hadn't even _been_ in Gryffindor when he was a student at Hogwarts. He claimed to have been a proud Slytherin, though rumors circulated that he'd actually attended Durmstrang, which was why he was so strict. Unfortunately however, he still took it upon himself to watch as many Quidditch practices as possible, and act like he was some sort of coach to all the teams since he happened to teach flying to all first years at the school, and referee the games.

This was despite the fact that the captain of their team was technically the only person that should be telling them what to do at practice. And starting this year, that person was Keith.

Lance was surprisingly unbothered that Keith had been named Gryffindor's Quidditch captain and not him. After all, he'd been on the team for a full year longer than Lance, and deep down he knew Keith would be better at it. In all honesty? He was proud of him, even if it hurt a little knowing that though his dream was to play professionally, Keith would always be better at it than him.

And the other boy didn't even want to pursue Quidditch as a career! He had his heart set on being an Auror, of all things.

Of course, he'd never actually _told_ Keith that he was happy for him. He just teased him good-naturedly at the appropriate times, and made a show of ignoring Keith's advice in practice even though he'd never actually do so in a game. Keith was a natural and, as much as he hated to admit it, Lance trusted him.

But he didn't trust Iverson as far as he could throw him. And Lance, being a fifteen year old who, though tall, was very lanky, couldn't throw him at all.

Still, Lance touched down on the ground, walked to stand beside Keith in line with the rest of their teammates, and waited for the Professor to give them some 'pointers.'

“Now, you've practically got this game in the bag,” Iverson said lazily, surveying them. When his eyes moved over Lance, he frowned, and Lance had to force himself not to flinch back at the look. “You've got a Kogane on your side.”

Lance forced down a groan, but couldn't help but look at Keith. The Koganes were a well known, pure-blooded family that were all in Slytherin... all except Keith. It was widely thought that many of them dabbled in the Dark Arts. And they didn't care for wizards whose blood wasn't as perfect as theirs.

A belief that Iverson shared.

Keith's family and their beliefs were a large part of why Lance had been so hesitant to get close to him. But after knowing him for this long... Lance had learned that Keith _hated_ his family, and their elitist views. Almost as much as they hated him for actually being a good person.

For this reason, he didn't like it when people praised him for his bloodline. But that wasn't stopping Iverson.

Keith said nothing, but his face was tinged slightly red.

“Natural flyers and magic-users, all of them,” Iverson continued, with a small smile. “It's no wonder you became captain so early. With talent like that, I'm surprised it took _this_ long.”

“Thanks,” Keith muttered softly, clearly uncomfortable. “Uh... sir, did you have any specific reason for interru—?”

“Yes, you would've done very well in Slytherin. It's a shame; my house would've been shoe-ins for the cup last year if you'd been playing with them, instead of Gryffindor.”

It had always pissed Lance off when their teachers praised Keith in their first few years, before he realized that Keith didn't like it anymore than he did.

But now Lance was irritated for a whole different reason. It seemed Iverson didn't have a legitimate reason for disrupting practice, and he was just making Keith uncomfortable and embarrassed. He had half a mind to say something. Of _course_ Keith belonged in Gryffindor.

Keith spoke before he could. Lance noticed that his fists were clenched at his sides, and felt a flare of anger. “With all due respect, sir, I feel like Gryffindor was the right place for me.”

Lance grinned at that, and bumped Keith's shoulder lightly with his own. Keith smiled back at him.

“Regrettably,” Iverson drawled. “But regardless of house, some things just can't be taught. They boil down to sheer talent. That's why you're going to win. The Hufflepuff Seeker is new, and a muggle born to boot.”

Lance tensed at that. He knew he shouldn't push it, since he'd _already_ gotten a detention that week, but he couldn't just stand by and let Iverson spout this absolute bullshit. And while he knew Keith would just stand there and listen to Iverson talk about how great he'd be in Slytherin, he also knew he wouldn't allow him to throw anyone else under the bus in comparison to him.

And Lance was the one who was already in trouble. So better he speak out than Keith, right?

Keith opened his mouth angrily, but Lance took half a step forward and spoke up first. He put on an easy smile, and did his best to sound polite. “Actually, Professor, I think the Hufflepuff Seeker is rather good. Getting on the team in just your second year is very impressive.”

Iverson's focus swiveled to Lance, and his eyes narrowed. “Considering that's also the year _you_ got put on this Quidditch team, McClain, I don't think it's saying very much,” he snapped. “Kogane got put on the team on his first year, which is typically not even allowed. _That's_ something to brag about. You, on the other hand, clearly know nothing about Quidditch.”

Lance heard Keith suck in a breath beside him, and he flinched at the words himself. It wasn't like he hadn't heard something like them before but... _ouch_. Today, Iverson was feeling especially harsh.

“Sorry, sir,” Lance said softly, and stared at the ground. He couldn't maintain the fake smile, so he just tried to school his expression into something that made it seem like he wasn't as upset as he was. But he had a feeling that it wasn't working.

He felt Keith look at him, and then he said, “Professor, Lance is a very talented Chaser. Hufflepuff's Keeper Shiro is incredible, and Lance has been invaluable to help us beat them anyway in the past. I'm very lucky to have him on my team.”

And suddenly, Lance's face was flushed. He'd never heard Keith say something so nice about him before. That fluttering feeling started anew.

But Iverson wasn't finished.

“Ah, Shirogane. _That's_ a real Quidditch player. But I'll have to disagree with you about this one,” he said, and jerked a thumb at Lance. “He's a menace both on the pitch and off of it. Do your fellow teammates know that you got yourself detention in the Forbidden Forest this weekend, McClain?”

Lance winced, and squeezed his eyes shut. He actually... hadn't told Keith the small detail of going to into the forest for his detention, just yet. He could already feel the other boy's eyes on him.

“The Forbidden Forest?” Keith echoed. He was talking to Iverson, but still staring at Lance. “But... but that's dangerous!”

“A good thing, too,” Iverson said. “Maybe he'll finally learn some sense. But I doubt it, with his background.”

Lance's head snapped up, barely able to believe his ears. He chanced a look at Keith, and... he looked _furious_. His still clenched hands were shaking.

“What do you mean by _that_ , Professor?” Keith demanded through gritted teeth.

If Iverson noticed Keith's anger, he didn't show it. In fact, he just seemed more amused.

“Keith,” Lance hissed under his breath, sensing that if he didn't do something to calm Keith down, things were going to get very bad, very quickly. “Keith, it's fine. I don't care. I get stuff like this a lot, it doesn't bother me.”

“It bothers _me_ ,” Keith muttered back, and if Lance weren't so busy worrying about Keith getting himself in trouble, he would've been touched. And just maybe, that fluttery feeling would be back. But there wasn't time, so he decidedly _wasn't_ thinking about how cute it was when Keith defended him.

Iverson's smile widened. “It's like I said, Kogane. Some people are just born talented. But McClain here? You can't be a natural with _his_ blood. His mother may be a witch, but his father's a filthy—”

Before Lance could stop it, Keith's fist swung and connected with the left side of Iverson's face.

 

* * *

 

Lance sat quietly in the chair beside the bed in the Hospital Wing, refusing to meet Keith's eye.

“Your knuckles are badly bruised, but not broken,” Professor Ulaz said. He worked as the resident doctor at Hogwarts, having once been a Healer at St. Mungos. “You're lucky. You're _also_ lucky you had witnesses to back up what Professor Iverson was saying and people to stop you from throwing more punches, or else you'd be in a lot more trouble.” He cast a pointed look at Lance, then returned to his office.

Keith glanced up from his bandaged right hand to where Lance sat with his arms crossed over his chest. Both of them were still in their bright red Gryffindor Quidditch robes.

He heaved a sigh. “Are you mad at me?”

This made Lance look up at him in confusion. “Mad at you?”

“Well... yeah,” Keith said awkwardly. “You seem pretty upset.”

“Of course I'm upset! Now you're stuck with a detention too, because of me.”

“Lance, this isn't your fault,” Keith said, surprised at the realization that the expression on Lance's face was one of guilt. “I was the one that decided to punch Iverson. That's all on me.”

“If I had just kept my mouth shut—”

Keith scowled. “Lance, you did absolutely _nothing_ to justify the things he said. You were just defending the Hufflepuff Seeker. And he probably would've said something like that anyway, even if you hadn't spoken up.”

“Even if that were true,” Lance began, tone suggesting that he very much still blamed himself. “You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have punched him at all, regardless of what he was saying.”

“I'd do it again,” Keith said honestly. “I couldn't just let him say such terrible things about your family!”

“It didn't bother me though!” Lance insisted. “If you were going to get pissed at him, it should've been over the way he talked about you, because that's where he was really wrong. You're nothing like the rest of your family. You _should_ be in Gryffindor.”

Keith's eyes widened in disbelief. He hardly even noticed the way Lance was defending him for once, because Lance wasn't defending himself at all. He didn't actually _believe_ what Iverson had said, did he?

“Wait, so Iverson wasn't wrong about _you_?” he demanded, voice coming out harsher than he meant it to. “All those things he said about being born talented were complete bullshit. You know one of your parents being a muggle has nothing to do with how much potential you have, right?”

“It's not complete bullshit, though,” Lance said softly. “At least, not when it comes to me.” He stared at the ground.

“What are you talking about?” Keith asked, genuinely confused. Lance glanced over at him, but still wouldn't meet his eye when he spoke.

“I... I care about my family a lot, but there's a reason I hardly ever talk about them. All my life, the fact that my mom married a muggle has been something people only use to hurt me. To hurt all of us,” he told Keith. “It's... my mom's side of the family wasn't thrilled about her being with a muggle, either. They never came to see us, and my mom never told my father about... any of this.”

Keith was quiet. He didn't want to say anything that would make Lance stop talking.

“When my older siblings started to develop magic, our father found out, obviously. I guess my mom had meant to tell him... but she didn't. She didn't know how, and I don't blame her for that. But when unexplainable things started happening, she ended up having to explain. And it was too much for him, to be involved in all of it. So he left us. He left my mom with four kids, _his_ kids, and never looked back. He never _came_ back, not once.”

Keith sucked in a breath. “Lance, I'm so—”

“Don't apologize,” Lance said softly. “Everyone... everyone always apologizes. My mom's parents did, but then I heard them whispering about how she never should've trusted a muggle anyway. I... I didn't cause anything magical to happen until just a few years ago. For a while there, they thought I might be a Squib. My grandparents whispered about me, too. So Iverson was right about me not having any sort of natural talent, and honestly? He was kind of right about my father being no good. I just wish he'd stop generalizing, because not all muggles are like him. And not all half-blood and muggle-born wizards are as... as _useless_ as me.”

Lance sniffed, and scrubbed at his eyes with his hands. Keith realized, with horror, that he was crying.

“Sorry,” Lance muttered. “You're the one that got hurt on my behalf today. I should be trying to thank you, not... whatever this is.”

Keith couldn't convince his voice to work for a moment there. Too afraid he'd mess something up by speaking. 

“It's not your fault,” he said finally. “And you're _anything_ but useless Lance. You're a talented wizard, and a damn good Chaser who our team would definitely be screwed without. Above all of that, though, you're a good person at heart and a really, really great friend. I'm glad I got the chance to know you, and I can tell you with certainty that your dad is missing out. I hate that Iverson will never be able to see that because he's too hung up on where you came from, instead of what you can achieve."

Lance finally met his eyes again, and Keith couldn't quite read his expression. He thought he saw sadness there, and joy... but mostly just surprise. He clearly hadn't expected Keith to say all that. Keith wasn't sure where it came from, either.

“I'm sorry he'll never be able to see you the way I see you, for what you are,” he continued, with a risk of a small smile. “Because it's a pretty great view.”

Lance stared at him a moment longer, then wiped at his eyes again. “Jeez,” he mumbled, with a soft laugh. “Who knew you could be such a sap? Maybe being stuck in detention with you won't be so bad after all.”

Keith raised an unimpressed eyebrow, but he was still smiling. “Lance, we have to go in the Forbidden Forest at night. I think it'll be pretty bad.”

“Well, maybe you should've thought about that before you decided to punch Professor Iverson,” Lance shot back, grinning now.

Keith stood up, and dusted off his Quidditch robes. “Maybe you should've thought about it before you tried to steal from Professor Haggar's private stores.”

Lance snorted. “Touché,” he said, and they walked back to their dorm together.

Keith really didn't think he'd mind having detention together, after all.

 

* * *

 

“It just makes no sense,” Lance grumbled, as Coran, the Charms Professor, escorted the four of them down to the edge of the forest late that Friday night. “It's called the Forbidden Forest. We've been told a hundred times over that it's too dangerous for us to venture into. And yet now for some reason the headmaster is okay with just... _sending_ three fifth years and a fourth year into it to teach them a lesson?”

“Well, I wouldn't say it's just to teach you all a lesson,” Coran said. “Those were some very valuable ingredients that you destroyed. It's very fortunate that they can all be found right here in the forest!”

“Yeah,” Lance deadpanned. “Fortunate.”

“Why not just send us to the Apothecary in Hogsmeade?” Pidge wanted to know. “Don't get me wrong, I'm super stoked to actually get to see the Forbidden Forest without getting in trouble for it, but. It seems a little bit life-threatening.”

“It's also a lot less expensive,” Coran told them. “And besides, sending you four on an errand to Hogsmeade wouldn't really be much of a punishment, now would it?”

“This is definitely a punishment,” Hunk mumbled, and Pidge nodded her agreement.

“For real. Is Headmaster Zarkon secretly plotting to kill us, or does he just care that much about his wife's potion making hobby?”

Coran fixed her with a stern look. “Now, now, Pidge. You know the Headmaster would never do anything that would put you in any real danger. You're all very learned students. I'm sure you'll be fine.”

“You're not going in there with us?!” Hunk asked suddenly, panic in his voice.

Coran laughed heartily as if he'd just told a great joke. None of them joined in. “Me? Go in there? Oh, absolutely not. No, far too dangerous.”

Lance looked over at Keith, who met his gaze and gave him a brief exasperated shake of his head.

“Professor, if you don't mind me asking, why am _I_ here?” Keith wondered. “I wasn't involved in breaking into the potions stores.”

“No,” Coran admitted. “But you did do something that requires about the same level of disciplinary action. Professor Iverson requested you also do detention here, something about how you and Mr. McClain here are such good friends?”

Lance saw Keith tense, Hunk look up in confusion, and Pidge snort with laughter. He himself nearly choked on air. So Keith being here really was his fault, then.

Brilliant.

“But anyway,” Coran continued, apparently unaware of the irony. “Now there's an even number, so you can rely on the buddy system. You'll split into two pairs, each of which will receive a list of ingredients you have to find and their descriptions. We were going to send you out during the day so it would be easier, but you can't be missing classes, now can you?”

“Tomorrow's a Saturday, sir,” Lance said flatly.

“And aren't more magical creatures active at night?” Hunk asked, wringing his hands.

Coran shrugged, which wasn't comforting in the slightest. “If you feel like you are in danger, send out red sparks. But, as I'm sure you'll be fine, report back to this location when you've found all the ingredients on your lists. Send out green sparks when this happens so I can send out blue ones, which you can follow back here if you stray too far from the path. Sound simple enough?”

“Uh—”

“Actually—”

“Not really—”

“ _Sir_ —”

“Good,” Coran said, with a smile. “Now go on! The sooner you collect those ingredients the sooner you can return to your respective dormitories.” He handed a list of ingredients to Lance, another one to Pidge, and then gestured for them to go into the forest.

“Okay Hunk, you're with me,” Pidge said, not bothering to be subtle at the glare she threw Coran's way while he seemed to make himself comfortable on a picnic blanket on the grass. “Lance, you and Keith take the path to the left. We'll go right.” And with that she turned around and stalked into the forest, Hunk following after her.

Lance gulped. “Guess we better go,” he said. “These ingredients aren't going to find themselves.”

Keith nodded. “ _Lumos_ ,” he mumbled, and his wand lit up. Without hesitation, he pushed his way into the trees.

It was times like this that made Lance wonder why anyone could possibly doubt Keith's place in Gryffindor. Why he had doubted it during their earliest years.

Keith was the most impulsive person Lance had ever met. Of _course_ he wouldn't hesitate before walking right into the most dangerous part of Hogwarts' grounds.

Lance did hesitate, but only for a second. He was a Gryffindor, too, and he wasn't about to let Keith go in alone for something that was entirely his fault.

“ _Lumos_ ,” he said, casting light around the space with his own wand as he followed Keith. He pointed it at the list in his hands, and grimaced at the number of ingredients listed there. “Okay, I definitely didn't break that many bottles.”

“It probably isn't what you broke,” Keith said. “What're the chances that those exact ingredients would be in the Forbidden Forest? I think is more of a punishment than anything. Haggar's probably just trying to restock her stores, generally.”

“How is that fair?” Lance complained, even as he dutifully scanned the descriptions of each item. “I didn't trash her entire closet!”

“You did break into it, though,” Keith pointed out, with a very poorly disguised laugh at Lance's distress. “This is the punishment, and I think it's pretty fitting. Don't know why I got stuck here, though.”

Lance grimaced at that, and averted his eyes. “I'm sorry. If you want, you can head back. I'll just find them myself.”

Keith gave him an odd look, then, one Lance couldn't quite place.

“No, it'll get done faster if we work together,” he said, and _damn it_ , there was that fluttery feeling again.

Lance did his best to ignore it. “Uh. Yeah. Right.” He stared down at the list determinedly, hoping that the dim light cast by their wands wasn't bright enough for Keith to see the flush that colored his cheeks. “Let's see... the first one is Asphodel? It's supposed to be pretty common in the forest. White flower with a little orange stripe on each petal?”

“Yeah, I think I used it to make a Wiggenweld Potion in Haggar's class last year,” Keith said. “So I know what it looks like, more or less.”

“It's still gonna be hard to find, though,” Lance said, and sighed. “Remind me why we couldn't search for this stuff during the day?”

“Because Professor Haggar hates children,” Keith deadpanned, which made Lance snort. He wondered if it was just the bad lighting, or if he'd really seen Keith smile at the sound. “What else is on the list? If we know everything we're looking for, we'll probably find stuff faster.”

“Okay, okay, um. Banesberry?” Lance offered, going down the alphabetized list. “Little clusters of red and white berries on a small branch with green leaves. These are less common, but still shouldn't be too hard to find.”

Keith wrinkled his nose. “Haggar wants students collecting those? Aren't they super poisonous?”

“Like you said, she hates children,” Lance shrugged. “You'd have to ask Allura, though. Charms or Transfiguration? Astronomy? I'm your guy. But when it comes to the other subjects, I have no idea what I'm doing. Especially Potions. And Herbology. And don't even get me _started_ on History of Magic; Professor Slav just drones on and on about different possible outcomes, like he's not supposed to be teaching us what actually _happened_.”

“I thought Hunk was helping you with Herbology, and Pidge with History of Magic. Or are your tutoring sessions in the library just excuses to hang out with them?”

“They're trying to tutor me, but it's a hopeless case,” Lance said. Keith laughed again, and Lance _really_ had to get whatever that feeling was under control, holy shit.

“I don't think you're a hopeless case,” he said. Lance focused very, very hard on the list of ingredients. “You don't get enough credit for how smart you are— your grades are crazy good. I'm surprised you didn't mention Defense Against the Dark Arts as one of your best courses.”

“Oh, right, like your marks in Kolivan's class aren't way higher than mine,” Lance said, and surprised himself by not meaning the words in cruel way. It was simply a fact.

Keith, however, frowned. “Other people don't give you enough credit, like I said. But you always sell _yourself_ short, too. I really wish you wouldn't do that so much,” he said softly. “Besides, the only reason I do so well in that class is because I understand dark magic better than most of the people at this school.”

Neither of them brought up the implications of that statement. Lance knew Keith didn't like the subject of his family being brought up, and he didn't push it anymore. Instead, he tried to lighten the mood some. Say something to make Keith feel better.

“I'm pretty sure you're doing well because you're a total badass and Professor Kolivan loves you for it, but sure. Whatever you say,” Lance said, then frowned at the paper in his hand. “Ugh. Third on the list is Fluxweed, which is basically just a little green sprig with a lot of leaves. Definitely will need to compare it to the drawing for this one. I guess it explains why we're out here at night though— it says it can only be used in Polyjuice Potion if picked under a full moon.”

Keith smirked. “You should stuff some of it in your pockets for Pidge,” he suggested, before walking back a bit to look at the list over Lance's shoulder. “Huh. There's quite a few items on here. Do you want to split up? We'd cover more ground, and probably get everything faster—”

“No!” Lance said, so quickly that he was embarrassed the moment it left his mouth. “I... I mean. Coran told us to use the buddy system. And it's dangerous. We really should stick together.”

Keith actually grinned, the absolute jerk. “Oh? Are you scared? I thought Gryffindors didn't _get_ scared.”

“I don't! I'm not scared at all,” Lance insisted with a huff. _Lie_. “And believe me, I'd love nothing more than to ditch your ass.” _Another lie_. “But I don't want to get in trouble again if I leave you alone and you get yourself mauled by some forest creature. So no, we're not splitting up.”

“You were the one that suggested I go back earlier,” Keith pointed out, but he didn't suggest to leave again.

They continued on, moving deeper and deeper into the forest in silence for a few minutes, stopping whenever they saw something that could be an ingredient on their list and comparing Coran's admittedly expert drawings to the actual plants.

They were able to find the Asphodel, the Fluxweed— of which he did set aside some for Pidge —and a few other items.

Lance was about to suggest they change direction when he heard Keith gasp.

“I think I see a Banesberry plant, just up ahead! Come on!” Keith called over his shoulder at Lance, before rushing into the trees.

Lance sighed. Any time Keith thought he saw something he took off towards it at a run, and Lance was left feeling like a babysitter, trudging exhaustedly after him. He'd tried telling Keith that they shouldn't venture too far off the path... but then again, he didn't really blame Keith for wanting to collect the ingredients as quickly as possible.

Just as Lance was about to follow him, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, coming from the woods on the opposite side of the path they'd been somewhat sticking to.

Automatically, he turned to look at it and gasped at what he saw.

A column of bluish white smoke hovered in the air a few feet from the path, two of its tendrils extending down like arms and holding a lantern that gave off a glow much larger than that of their wands.

Distantly, he remembered learning something about lantern-carrying smoke creatures in Defense Against the Dark Arts. But the lesson was fuzzy when he tried to look back on it now, and had it even been in Kolivan's class? Perhaps he'd learned about it in Care of Magical Creatures. How could such a being be dangerous?

Yes, this thing wasn't seeking to hurt him, of that much Lance was sure. If anything, it's presence seemed to calm him, and ease the fear of the forest within him. It wasn't scary at all— just a bunch of trees in the dark. And the thing had a lantern with it.

Why wouldn't Coran give them a lantern? Surely, with a wider field of vision they'd be able to find their ingredients way faster. Maybe this smoke creature would be willing to let Lance borrow it.

He reached out a hand towards it, but the smoke dissolved, and then reappeared several yards farther from him.

Lance cast an uncertain glance back in the opposite direction, where Keith had gone off the path. Would he be worried?

_Of course he won't_ , a soft voice assured Lance, speaking from within his own mind. He wondered if he'd spoken aloud, or if it was just reading his thoughts. He wasn't nearly as unsettled by that as he probably should've been. _You'll be helping him._

Yes— yes, that made sense. Keith wouldn't care; he was busy. Lance would step off the path, just for a second. Just long enough to ask this smoke creature if he could borrow it's lantern. He took several steps toward it, but when he got close it once again disappeared and materialized even farther away.

He went after it again, growing further and further from the path. He needed that lantern. With it they could... what did he have to do again?

Lance's mind felt foggy. Hadn't... hadn't he been with someone before?

Something fell from Lance's hands. He didn't look down to see what it was.

  He remembered. He had to follow the smoke creature.

That's why he was in this forest.

And so he did.

 

* * *

 

Keith tried to shove down his disappointment. Once he saw the berries closely, it was easy to see that it wasn't the Banesberry they needed.

Maybe that was for the best. He didn't really know how exactly they were supposed to collect highly poisonous berries without touching them. But still... Keith was exhausted, and he knew Lance was too. They had the Quidditch match tomorrow morning, and if they didn't get a good night's sleep then they wouldn't play very well.

“It's not Banesberry,” he said, still scanning the surrounding foliage. “So I guess we need to keep looking. We could circle back now since we only have a few things left on the list, and see if we can find it on the way back to Coran? What do you think, Lance?”

There was no answer, and Keith rolled his eyes.

“Lance, come on. I know you're tired, but we've got to get this done, and it's kind of your fault I'm here in the first place, so—”

He broke off, his train of thought crashing the second he looked behind him to find that Lance wasn't there.

He groaned, exasperated. “Lance. This isn't funny. We don't have time for hide and seek.”

The eerie quiet of the forest was the only answer Keith got. And just like that, panic started to set in.

“Lance?” he asked again, fear seeping unbidden into his voice. “Seriously. Come on.”

But he knew already that something was wrong. Lance could be an ass sometimes, but he wouldn't leave Keith alone in the Forbidden Forest. If it were some stupid prank, the other boy would've jumped out at him by now, and laughed about how for a moment there, Keith actually had been worried about him.

But he had a hard time believing that he would even do that. Lance was the one who said that they shouldn't split up, that it was way too dangerous to leave each other alone—

And Keith had left him.

He'd run off at first glance of what he thought might be an ingredient they needed, and left Lance behind. Alone.

Keith suddenly found it hard to keep his breathing under control. He'd thought Lance was _right behind him_ — but how could he be so stupid? He'd just assumed, and didn't even bother to check.

His mind cycled through all the dangerous things in the Forbidden Forest that Shiro often warned him about. Lance, tired and by himself, could've made an easy target for any number of malicious beasts, or deadly plants.

Keith had to find him. He had to find him _now_. Lance had to be okay; Keith wouldn't allow anything else.

He took off at a run, heading back to the path as fast as his legs could carry him. “LANCE?” he shouted, not caring who or what might hear. If something attacked him, fine. One less threat to Lance. “LANCE, WHERE ARE YOU?!”

His voice must've carried a considerable distance through the forest, and he knew his crashing through the trees couldn't have possibly been quiet. But still, he didn't see or hear any signs of Lance.

Keith made it back to the path quickly, and spun in a circle, eyes scanning the trees. With each passing moment, his hopelessness and dread increased.

With a shaky breath, he lifted his wand. What color sparks did Coran tell them to send up if they were in danger again?

He was trying to remember when his eyes snagged on a faint light, coming from a little ways off the path. It was faint, and partially blocked out by the trees, but Keith knew where it was coming from the moment he caught sight of it.

Lance's wand.

“LANCE!” Keith cried again, his voice bordering on hysterical. There didn't seem to be any creatures nearby, so he must've just wandered off. Maybe he thought he saw something else on the list? Keith was just relieved to have finally found him, even if he'd been admittedly scared out of his mind.

He shoved his way through the thicket, not caring as the branches caught on his robes and scratched at his hands.

“Lance, bloody _hell_ , why didn't you—”

The words died on Keith's lips as he stared down at Lance's wand lying on the ground, the light from the spell cast with it not yet put out. Beside it lay the list of ingredients that Lance had previously been so careful not to lose.

“Oh God,” Keith whispered, and snatched them both up.

Holding another wizard's wand felt foreign, as if you were holding a piece of them. Keith could almost... feel a surge of Lance the second his fingers made contact with it.

Larch wood, with a unicorn hair core. Wands made of larch were known for inspiring courage and confidence, but also tended to choose wizards who were unaware of their own potential, in magic or otherwise. They could be tricky to handle, but that made the witches and wizards they did bend to the will of all the more special. The core ensured it's faithfulness, and the absolute absence of the desire to perform dark magic in its beholder.

Keith could feel Lance's bravery, his empathy, even his insecurities in his hand. And it terrified him. What had happened to make him drop this? Something _had_ to have happened...

Lance was probably in real danger, then. And he didn't have his wand.

Keith shivered.

He would _not_ bring Lance's wand back to the castle. Not without its owner.

The wand's energy seemed to turn warm at that, and Keith found it easier to hold. He pocketed it, and the list, and with new determination but no less fear, continued in the same direction.

“LANCE?” he called again. “ _Lance_. Say something, I need to know where you are!”

Nothing. The silence of the Forbidden Forest was unsettling, but not nearly as much as silence from Lance McClain. He couldn't have gotten far enough to not be able to hear Keith in that short a time. Which led Keith to believe that wherever Lance was, he _couldn't_ call out for help.

Every second that passed with no sign of Lance was a second in which Keith imagined another horrible fate that could've befallen him.

Lance could be hiding from some monster, defenseless, scared out of his mind, and doing his best not to make a sound.

He could've been attacked, left unconscious or delirious from blood loss somewhere, stuck and incapable of moving.

Lance could be—

Keith shut that thought down right away. Lance was still alive. He had to believe that, at the very least.

He just had to find him.

But it was starting to seem less and less likely that he would.

Keith ran a hand through his hair and took a shuddering breath. In. And out. If he panicked, he really wouldn't be able to find Lance. Now wasn't the time to get scared. He had to _focus_.

“Patience yields focus,” Keith whispered to himself, the memory of Shiro telling it to him calming him down a little. Shiro wouldn't have given up. Shiro would've found Lance.

_Hufflepuffs are good at finding things_ , Shiro always said, with a wink, and an arm around Matt's shoulders.

“But I'm a Gryffindor,” Keith said into the empty air. “I'm a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors are brave. They don't give up, either. They fight.”

What had Keith been thinking? Lance was a Gryffindor, too. He was strong. Even without his wand, Lance would be fighting. He'd be brave, if Keith were the one in danger. _He's probably being brave right now._

Keith needed to be brave, too.

He let himself be scared for Lance's safety for just one more moment. Then he took another deep breath, and started forward again.

And then, almost like an answer to his thoughts, he caught sight of a figure up ahead.

Keith was running before he even fully registered what he saw. He didn't think, he just _moved_.

And as he got closer he recognized that tall, lanky frame with second-hand robes that were always just a bit too big.

“LANCE!” Keith cried, not caring that the overwhelming sense of relief he felt was audible in his voice. “Lance, _Lance_ —”

Keith stopped as he turned Lance around. Something was wrong.

Lance's face was blank, and he looked directly ahead, seeming to stare straight through Keith with glassy blue eyes. He said nothing.

“Lance?” Keith said again, tentatively. He shook him gently. “Lance. Come on. Snap... snap out of it.”

He still didn't react, and so Keith shook him harder.

“Lance!” Still no reaction. He was beginning to feel helpless again. “What happened? What's the matter?!”

Lance's eyes seemed to focus at that, and he blinked. Then he looked at Keith, and seemed to realize he was there for the first time. “Oh. Hey, man.” And he smiled that half-smile that Keith loved so much.

Keith let out a somewhat hysterical sounding laugh, then practically tackled Lance in a hug.

“Don't ever do that again,” Keith mumbled, blinking back the sting in his eyes. “Ever. You scared the hell out of me.”

Lance hesitated, but brought his arms up and patted Keith on the back somewhat awkwardly. “Uh. You got it, dude. But... um, do _what_ , exactly?”

Keith stepped back, caught between irritation and concern. “Going off on your own without telling me? I thought you'd been ki— attacked, because you wouldn't answer! _Why_ didn't you answer?!”

Lance just looked confused at that. “Huh. I guess I didn't hear you.”

Keith glared. “I was _shouting_.”

Lance seemed to consider this, then grinned. “Aw! You were worried about me!”

“No, I wasn't!” Keith sputtered. _Of course I was_. “I just— where did you _go_?! I thought you were the one who said we shouldn't split up! What were you thinking?”

Lance, looking confused again, shook his head. “I wasn't leaving you alone, Keith. I was just following the smoke.”

“The smoke?” Keith echoed, trying not to sound to alarmed. “What smoke?"

“You know—” Lance started, jerking a thumb behind him, then stopped when he saw that there was nothing there. “Oh. That's weird, it was here just a second ago. I guess you spooked it, Keith. A little smoke creature, lugging around a lantern almost the same size as it.”

Keith sucked in a breath. “Smoke with a lantern? Did this thing, by any chance, disappear whenever you got close to it?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah! How did you—”

“That was a _Hinkypunk_ , Lance!” Keith said, feeling about ready to bash his head against the nearest tree. Or Lance's head. Or both. “They lead people off the path by messing with their minds! They're really dangerous— people that encounter them usually get lured to their deaths!”

“I wasn't being lured!” Lance protested. “I was just following it because I figured its lantern could help us and I guess I forgot that you... oh. Yeah, okay, so maybe I got lured a _little_ bit.”

“Lance! We learned about Hinkypunks in Kolivan's class our third year!”

“Yeah, but I'd never seen one in person! Besides, I remembered that, kind of, wgen I first saw it, but then my brain got all foggy! It's not my fault!”

Keith huffed a sigh, and Lance had the sense to look a little sheepish. But instead of scolding him, Keith just buried his head in Lance's shoulder, and let out another shaky breath.

“I'm _so glad_ you're okay,” he said softly. “When I noticed you weren't with me... I thought... I thought—”

“I'm okay,” Lance promised, circling Keith in his arms and pulling him close. “We're okay. You can't get rid of me that easily, Kogane.”

Keith laughed, and if it was accompanied by tears seeping into Lance's robes, then neither of them said anything about it.

A twig snapped somewhere to their right, and they both whirled towards the sound. Keith raised his wand and handed Lance his. He kept one hand on the other's arm.

But it wasn't some sort of monster approaching them, only Pidge and Hunk with their own wands drawn.

“Are you guys okay?!” Hunk asked, winded. “We... we heard Keith shouting for Lance, but we didn't see sparks so we just followed your voice, and then you stopped shouting and we were worried that something happened—”

“Hunk was worried,” Pidge interrupted, though she was also still catching her breath. “I was more amused, to be honest.”

“Well, we're fine,” Lance said, with an easy smile that Keith couldn't even begin to understand. “I got lured off the path by a Rinkydink—”

“Hinkypunk.”

“Whatever. But Keith stopped me, so it's all good.”

“Certainly looks all good from where I'm standing,” Pidge observed, with a smirk.

Keith glanced to the side only to realize that his hand was still protectively resting on Lance's arm.

The two of them both pulled violently away at the exact time as if they'd been burned, and avoided making eye contact.

“Hinkypunks are really dangerous though!” Hunk said. “Lance, why did you follow it? You're smarter than that.”

“He really isn't.”

“Shut up, Pidge,” Lance said, and stuck out his tongue. “Don't act all high and mighty. Hunk's the only Ravenclaw here.”

Pidge crossed her arms. “I could be a Ravenclaw if I wanted to. I just like being able to show everyone in my own house up. Slytherins are almost as smart anyway, and twice as ambitious," she said. “Besides, I've never had a problem with being around people less intelligent than me.” Here she gave Lance and Keith a pointed look.

“Lance could've been a Ravenclaw if he wanted to,” Keith said stubbornly, and if he hadn't known better he could've sworn that Lance blushed at that. “He's really smart.”

“That's very sweet of you, Keith, but I'm pretty sure Gryffindor is right where Lance belongs,” Pidge said, with a dismissive wave of her hand as she turned around. “It's perfect for both of you.”

“She's right,” Lance said from beside him, and Keith felt a hand grasp his own. “There's no place I'd rather be.”

He refused to meet Keith's gaze, or look down at their entwined fingers. Keith didn't exactly want to figure out what exactly that gesture meant either, so he did the same.

But he didn't let go of Lance's hand. Maybe he was scared that Lance would disappear again, that something worse would happen and this time Keith wouldn't be able to help. Maybe he wanted to ensure that they would stick together.

Or maybe he just liked the feeling of Lance's hand in his. Maybe it filled his stomach with unexplainable butterflies, and made his heart beat even faster than it had when he'd been racing through the woods.

He'd never tell Lance that, though. Of course not.

“ _I_ would very much rather be asleep,” Keith said instead. “We have that big match tomorrow, and we need rest. We should try and get done here as fast as possible.” He held up the now crumpled list of ingredients, and Lance snatched it from his hands.

“Well, then let's get a move on,” Lance said. “Then we can head back to the dorm together.”

They began walking again, but Keith didn't feel scared of the forest anymore. At least not when he had Lance with him. Now his pulse was racing for a whole different reason. “You got it.”

 


End file.
